The silver lining of Australia’s recycling crisis

April 19, 2018

When we put our recycling bins out for collection we trust that our waste is going somewhere to be recycled – turned into something new that can be used again. For a long time this somewhere was China. That’s before China’s latest import bans put an end to offshore recycling, leaving about half of our country’s recyclable waste with nowhere to go.

The reality of our recyclable waste being stockpiled or sent to landfill is well and truly sinking in.

As the ABC’s 7.30 report unearthed on Mondays night’s program, our country’s approach to recycling needs an overhaul; starting with the recognition of recyclables as resources.

Providing a solution to Australia’s recycling crisis

Stockpiles of unwanted glass is transformed into sand.

Alex Fraser offers a sustainable solution to Australia’s recycling crisis; by recovering stockpiles of unwanted glass and turning it into a quality sand that can be used in construction.

Using state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, traditionally ‘un-recyclable’ glass is cleaned, separated from foreign materials, crushed and screened to produce a high quality construction sand, ideal for use in concrete, roadbase, asphalt, pipe bedding and filter/drainage materials.

Alex Fraser’s General Manager Recycling Sean McCormick shared how we’re helping to solve Australia’s recycling crisis and why government support is vital to ensuring recycled materials are used to build and maintain our cities.

“There is absolutely no need for there to be any stockpiles of glass waste in Australia, when we have developed processes that can turn this waste into a product that can be used in construction throughout Australia,” said Sean.

With high quality recycled products on the market, the onus is now on government and specifiers to step up and endorse the use of recyclable resources, in specifications and in major infrastructure projects.

Many local governments are already confidently investing in recycled materials for local maintenance and development projects ahead of the game, like the city of Kingston, Whitehorse and Yarra who actively seek out recycled roadbase and asphalt to build and maintain their suburbs.

“The government absolutely need to take the lead. Without their support, and endorsement through specification, ensuring that they buy it and reuse it in their projects, you won’t get the traction required.”

Click here to watch ABC’s 7.30 report featuring Alex Fraser’s Sean McCormick to learn why Australia needs to rethink the way it recycles and what we need to do to win this war on waste.